#ao3 miraculous ladybug

[ebonysword0]

Bandaged hands and the Unexceptional(?) Gift

Summary: Chloé Bourgeois wants to make a home-made gift for Caline Bustier to congratulate her on her pregnancy. But things did not go as planned.

Ao3

Fanfiction

This is supposed to be a mother's day special since, although I don't know Miss Bustier's age, I'd like to think of her as Chloe's mother figure or older sister figure. The one-shot is set before Chloe met Zoe. Just so you know, This is NOT a Marinette bash fic. This is just Chloe's POV and how she sees things.

---

Not for the first time, Chloe Bourgeois glared at her bandaged hands as if they were the cause of all her problems.

It wasn't too long ago that she returned from a field trip in New York she never wanted to go too. During her time in that ridiculous field trip, she tried to make the best of the situation by trying to get in contact with Audrey, hoping that she would visit her and have a mother/daughter time together like she always wanted since she was a little girl.

Unfortunately, for some reason, Audrey refused. She didn't say why. What could be more important than spending time with your daughter? But Chloe was used to it.

Chloe felt the hurt in her heart in remembrance but steeled it to focus on the situation.

With the plan to spend time with her mother in shambles, she spent most of her time in New York wallowing in hurt from another disappointment in her life that she couldn't enjoy the scenery and the fun that she could've spent in a different country like her classmates are having.

But they weren't her friends, not all of them. Sabrina and Adrien have that title. They've put up with her selfish and spiteful attitude for a long time. They deserve to have fun without her despair and anger spoiling the trip.

There is however, one other person she respects enough that could've made her try to have fun with her classmates during the whole trip, which Chloe will allow, but they couldn't come.

That person is her teacher Caline Bustier. She's one of the very few people to believe the good in her, and doesn't cower under Chloe's status as the mayor's daughter.

'She would be a good mother.' Chloe thought

Yes, the reason why she couldn't come to New York was because of her pregnancy.

After Chloe got over her self-pity, the news of Miss Bustier's pregnancy sank in. She had time to think of what she should give her as a congratulatory gift.

She won't forget like she forgot Miss Bustier's birthday. She still feels guilt about that.

She at first thought of giving her an expensive souvenir from New York to compensate for missing the trip. But she dashed the thought aside.

Chloe is called a lot of things over the years. Entitled, mean, bratty, spiteful, heartless, a bully, and last but not least a villain. Most of that is true.

The last one is definitely earned due to the Miracle Queen incident. Chloe's eyes watered a bit when she thinks of Pollen (1).

Normally she just doesn't really give her all and solves her problems with money, connections, and spite.

However, don't call her heartless. There are a few people in her life that she truly loves and respects. Who she will give her all too.

Miss Bustier is definitely one of those people, and for her the gift has to be exceptional.

And what could be more exceptional than a handmade gift. But won't be some ridiculous card. Oh no, it has to be something benefiting for the occasion.

She still bought a souvenir from New York and took pictures for Miss Bustier but it won't be the main gift though. Wouldn't hurt to have extra gifts.

She wouldn't admit she had a little fun during the trip.

But that's easier said than done….

Chloe then turns her attention from her hands to severely glare at her disastrous attempt of a homemade gift.

The plan was to make a stuffed animal, a Bee specifically, for Miss Bustier's unborn child. When she was a little girl, her daddy gave her a yellow teddy bear which she named Mr. Cuddly. (2) Chloe loves that bear very much. It was always there for her every time she felt sad, like when her mother left for New York for years, when she never visited on her birthdays, or when Aunt Emilie disappeared.

She still remembers that time she held Adrien in her arms as he cried when he fully realized Aunt Emilie might never come back. She cried with him.

Chloe knows a stuffed animal would be a perfect gift. A handmade one would be exceptional. So, in her spare time, she worked tirelessly on it.

She will definitely be her teacher's child's favorite after this. Proving that she is exceptional. One upping her most of her classmates would be a bonus, especially Dupain-Cheng! 'I'll show you who has no heart!' (3) Chloe thought when she got started on her project.

However, due to her inexperience with stitching, she ended up hurting her hands. Hence why they are bandaged in the first place. If that wasn't bad enough her project ended up looking… incomprehensible.

'It wasn't supposed to be like this! The plan was to make a cute Bee! Not… not… I don't even know what to call that!' Chloe fumed

"Ridiculous….Utterly… fucking… ridiculous…" She grumbled.

---

It was supposed to be a simple day at school or at least, it's the day Chloe was trying to make simple. The plan was to quickly go by the day without incident, especially an Akuma incident, so she can bring her secret project home with her without anyone seeing it.

Why did she bring that hideous thing with her? You see, today was the day where room service comes to hotel rooms for a cleaning day. Jean was usually the one who cleans her room and Chloe trusts him enough to tell him about what she's been working on for a while so he wouldn't mistake it as trash.

Jean offered to help but Chloe wanted to do it herself. Her heart warmed when he looked proud of her.

Unfortunately, Jean had a sick day at the time so someone else had to clean her room. Generally, she didn't want anyone else to see it and know she's unexceptional in knitting and sewing. So, she placed the unidentified horror in her bag, put on gloves to hide her bandaged hands, and left for school.

So for the rest of the day, she was… un-Chloe… if you can call it that. She was focused, she didn't cause any outburst (no matter how irritated she is). For any other student, no one would bat an eye but because she's Chloe she managed to raise suspicion from almost all of her classmates and concern from the rest.

Especially the way she was protective of her school bag. During class she placed it on her lap when she's at her desk and held it tightly in a protective grip.

Which might be why Lila made the mistake to try to take a look and Chloe... let's just say she made a point that nobody under any circumstances goes near it.

Good thing, Chloe placed her creation at the very bottom of the bag and other things on top of it so nobody can catch a glimpse.

But it did send both Lila and Chloe to stay in Miss Bustier's class after school.

'Let me guess, Rossi is going to create a sob-story where she's the victim.' Chloe thought

As if on cue, Lila placed on a well-crafted mask of a scared rabbit and began her tale of woes.

"I.. I didn't mean to cause a disruption at school. It's just..." Lila starts to wipe away crocodile tears dropping out of her eyes. "Chloe hasn't been acting herself lately. She twitches from moment to moment, she was too quiet, and was distant from class, including Sabrina and Adrien! I knew then something was wrong! I thought that maybe after noticing how protective she was of her bag, I.." Lila looked away as if embarrassed. Cue the fake blushing. "..I thought that I would find answers to find out the problem so I can help Chloe. So, I tried to look in her school bag... I know it's wrong to look in someone's bag without permission. It's just... I was just so worried I didn't know what else to do. I.. I.. I'm sorry!" Lila then started sobbing while covering her face.

Chloe can't help but roll her eyes at the ridiculous display. 'With how often she sheds crocodile tears, I wonder if she'll end up growing scales at this rate.' She glanced at Miss Bustier and held back a sigh knowing she'll reassure the girl.

Miss Bustier placed her hand on Lila's shoulder looking at her with eyes both kind and stern.

"Lila, it's ok. You shouldn't say sorry for being concerned for your classmate. However, you should say sorry for going through her things without permission. It's a violation of privacy. Next time if you feel that something concerning is happening to your classmate, you tell an adult, ok? My door is always open for my students. Chloe…" She turned towards her. "While Lila shouldn't have tried to look in your school bag, you shouldn't have reacted the way you did. There are other ways to react that don't involve hurting someone, understand? That being said.." Miss Bustier focuses now on both of them. "Now that you two understand what you both did was wrong, you need to apologize to each other." She said in a kind but firm voice.

The air between the two girls became tense after that. As the girls looked at each other the tension thickens even more as their eyes that are similar yet different from one another locked gazes. Lila's eyes held cruelty while Chloe's eyes held anger the one thing that these eyes had in common was their mutual dislike for whom they lay their gaze upon. Everything came to a standstill for them, each silently making a dare for one of them to apologies first.

But in the end Chloe felt that she had to be the one to do it first because she doesn't want Miss Bustier to be akumized because of her again. So, Chloe swallowed her pride and apologized with gritted teeth with a voice tight and cordial. "Lila..." Chloe then took a deep breath, locking her pride and her choice of insults away and continued. "I'm sorry for reacting the way I did when you tried to look through my school bag. It was wrong and I should've used words, not violence."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gone through your things, it's just that you were acting differently and everyone was getting really worried about you…" Lila began.

'Yeah right, you were only sorry you got caught. Not only that, I'm pretty sure that the only people who would worry about me are Sabrina, Adrien, and Miss Bustier. Everyone else would've left me to my own devices as long as I don't interact with them or involve them in my business.' Chloe thought, not buying Lila's act.

"I mean… it's just…" Lila then took a moment like she's trying to compose herself then continued on. "Not too long ago when we had our presentation at school about the dangers of drug use, it brought back memories of when I was very young where, at the time, my uncle was allowed to babysit me. He had trouble with addiction. Seeing how you were acting recently reminded me of how my uncle behaved in the past. I'm sorry." Lila said, with a voice sounding like she's trying to keep it together but her eyes if one takes a closer look are filled with malice.

Chloe stilled.

...

..

.

'Oh... You... Bitch!' Chloe thought, seething as she realized what Lila's new strategy is. She could feel her rage bubbling up, rolling over her body, from head and toe as she connected the dots.

Throughout Lila's time at school, she never really talks about her family. The info everyone got was that her mom works at an embassy and that she has a grandmother who apparently gave her a fox pendant (4). Chloe feels that she kept it purposely vague so that she can create a lie that benefits her and nobody would question it.

The benefits for this situation? Not only saving her own face while ruining Chloe's, but also giving Miss Bustier an excuse to look in her school bag.

In her angry haze she's vaguely aware of what was going on around her. How Miss Bustier was comforting Lila after she 'revealed her past'.

Chloe can already imagine what both of their reactions would be if they saw. Lila will definitely offer false sympathy while she'll laugh on the inside and pass on her lack of success in sewing to everyone at school.

But It's what the reaction of the one who matters is what made her burning anger die out into a spiral of depression.

Miss Bustier... even there's a limit to the kindness she gives to her students. There's got to be! Chloe's mother saw how unexceptional she was when she was young and left for years. The fact that she's her daughter doesn't change anything. Miss Bustier will surely realize how unexceptional she truly was if she saw her stuffed Eldritch Horror. How she's not worth it.

Chloe's mind flashed to a memory where she tried to give her mother a gift when she returned to Paris after all these years only for the gift to be rejected because the wrapping paper is, in Audrey's mind, ridiculous and she tried to 'fire' her, only for her daddy to protest. (5)

Even now, Chloe still doesn't understand what Audrey means when she says "You're fired." To her. Fired from her presence? Fired from accompanying her? Fired from being exceptional? From the chance to be one? Or…. fired from being her daughter? … From the chance to be noticed and loved by her?

Then the memory of Audrey and Chloe's gift is morphed into an image of Miss Bustier and the stuffed animal Chloe made. But the only thing that hadn't changed is the look of disdain and disgust in her eyes.

…

..

.

Chloe can't breathe.

---

After Miss Bustier finished comforting Lila, she turned her attention to her other student.

"Now Chloe, While Lila did cross the line looking at your school bag. She brought up points about how you've been acting differently lately, and with some serious accusations. I'm going to need to look at your school bag."

Chloe was silent.

"Chloe." Miss Bustier's voice sounded stern

More silence.

Miss Bustier was now concerned. Usually, Chloe would yell and give out a defiant glare head-on but right now she's being unusually quiet, with her shoulders slouched and her head hung low.

"Chloe?." Miss Bustier asked, worry in her voice.

Then Chloe's breath started to pick up in an increasing rate.

"Chloe!" Miss Bustier yelled out alarmed.

---

Chloe can't make out her words nor her surroundings as Miss Bustier led Lila out the room, much to Lila's displeasure, and walked towards Chloe. The only thing she can hear are the words that repeat in her head. The words she knows everyone feels about her, but they feel more real than ever.

Worthless.

Failure.

A waste of time.

Heartless.

Villain.

Unexceptional.

Unworthy of love.

Miss Bustier then places her hands on Chloe's shoulders, snapping Chloe out of her self-loathing thoughts. "Listen to me Chloe, I want you to take deep breaths, focus on the sound of my voice and nothing else, ok?"

Chloe nodded

"Good." Miss Bustier gave her a reassuring smile then instructed "Now do what I do. Breathe in" Miss Bustier then breathe in.

Chloe complied.

"And out" Miss Bustier breathed out.

Chloe Matched her.

The process repeated with Miss Bustier guiding Chloe the whole way until Chloe's breathing evened out, her thoughts no longer an all-consuming darkness, leaving only the feeling of numbness.

"Better?" Miss Bustier asked.

Chloe just nodded, too tired to speak.

"Good." Miss Bustier gave Chloe a smile. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Talking is the last thing Chloe wanted to do right now, she couldn't muster up the energy to come up with an excuse to get out of this. She knew that by the end of this that her school bag would be opened and her inadequate attempt would be exposed.

Oh, how it would be easy for an Akuma to show up while she's feeling down and accept an offer to rain her vengeance down on Lila for her stunt not only for retribution but also to avoid this situation altogether.

But…

"Thank you, Chloé. Those words are the best possible gift you could ever give me." (3.5)

Chloe can't do that to Miss Bustier, especially because of the care she's shown after witnessing Chloe's moment of weakness.

'At least Rossi isn't here to see it.' Chloe thought, trying to reassure herself.

Slowly, Chloe reluctantly handed over her school bag to Miss Bustier who looked very much surprised.

"Are you sure?" Miss Bustier asked, not making a move to take it.

Chloe just nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her eyes then lowered down on the floor as she nudged her school bag to her teacher.

"Alright." Miss Bustier then slowly reached the school bag, giving Chloe a chance to change her mind. When she didn't, Miss Bustier grabbed hold of it and placed it on her desk where she began her search for anything that's suspicious.

Time seemed to slow for Chloe as Miss Bustier inspected. Every second that passed and each item that Miss Bustier placed on her desk increased her dread.

---

Caline was very concerned about Chloe. After her panic attack, she wondered she's hiding that caused her to act like this.

She really hopes that Lila's accusations aren't correct. Caline loves her students like they were her own children but she isn't blind, she knows that her students have flaws and A few aren't the best of people but they are young and have the potential to change and be good.

She knows each of her students have their own problems, whether it's at school or outside of it. She's willing to listen and help whenever she can, no matter what, With guidance and love. Cause that's what it is to be a teacher and a person who cares.

So, whatever's troubling Chloe she'll help whatever she can. If Lila's assumption is correct, then she'll still help her whatever she can. It's just another one of life's obstacles to overcome and Caline will be there in every step of the way.

So far, Caline never found anything suspicious or out of place. It's just usual assignment books, pencils, and make-up kits. The last part she knows Chloe would bring to school with her. But when Caline reached the bottom, she saw something odd.

When she picked it up to get a closer look, she realized it's a stuffed toy, of what sort she doesn't know. It either looked like an amalgamation of different animals put together or a creature you'd see in horror books.

Other people would've found it creepy or something to throw away. But Caline found it a little... endearing in a way. It was obviously made by a beginner who put so much work into making it for someone to play with.

But why would Chloe have this? It doesn't seem like her to keep this?

"When I heard of your pregnancy, I wanted to give you a gift that would be fitting for the occasion." Chloe spoke in a despondent voice

Surprised, Caline's gaze turned from the toy to Chloe who refused to move her gaze from the floor.

Caline knows Chloe is capable of feeling sadness and remorse but she usually masks it with a haughty exterior. However, there are other moments where Chloe shows her vulnerability in front of others, but it was very rare that people often forget.

But Caline never did.

Chloe finally looked up to Caline "... What would be more fitting than a toy. But it can't be any toy, it has to be made by me! Chloe Bourgeois! Queen Bee! Defender of Paris!" Chloe preached with false cheer, then her face and tone changed to something despondent. "But... It didn't turn out the way I pictured it. It was supposed to be a Bee. It wasn't supposed to look like... this." She gestured to the toy "I wanted… it to be so exceptional that your child would be proud to show off to their friends. I wanted... them to know that even though Queen Bee is inactive, she would always watch over them."

Chloe fell silent after that.

Caline processed what she confessed.

A hand-made toy? For her unborn child?

That's...

Caline looked back at Chloe's creation and felt warm rousing in her chest.

While everyone knows that Chloe can be mean, a few know that she possesses a selfless, good heart.

The doll in her hand is proof of that. The doll Chloe made with thoughts of the child that hasn't existed yet.

It was because of those moments and this moment that Caline never gave up on her. Mother's never give up on their children.

'She would be a good big sister for my little one.' Caline thought with a smile

Suddenly, Chloe spoke, voice cracking "I wanted..."

Caline looked back at Chloe whose body was shaking, closing her gloved hands tightly.

"...Them to have a friend they can turn to when they feel like they couldn't go to their parents." Then a few tears spilled from Chloe's eyes.

---

'Just like how Mr. Cuddly was for me when I was young... No, still is.' Chloe thought recalling her teddy bear fondly then noticed the feeling of tears coming out of her eyes.

'Great, more reasons for her to think I'm unexceptional.' Chloe thought with sarcasm, self-disgust filling her. If that stuffed horror wasn't enough to prove it, the crying is definitely the final straw.

Usually when she feels like crying, she goes somewhere private (like a hotel room or a limo) and hugs Mr. Cuddly. Crying in front of someone is a different story.

One of the things Audrey taught her when she was young was that crying in front of someone is a sign of vulnerability and showing vulnerability means giving access to someone who can betray you once you show your weakest, unexceptional self.

She only cried in front of a few people in her life.

She cried in front of Ladybug before. (6) Then felt a deep betrayal when she didn't come to her for help when her parents were Akumized. Those were her parents! She should get the chance to be the hero for this! (7)

But now, she's not in her hotel room or a limo nor does she have Mr. Cuddly. She's in a classroom with someone she REALLY doesn't want to show that she's unexceptional.

To be honest, she feels very exposed.

Now she waits for Miss Bustier to show her disgust and condemn her unfit for her kindness and attention. Chloe knows that pain would be similar to how she felt when Audrey didn't deem her worth her time. This Chloe knows what she did wrong.

Chloe doesn't realize that in the middle of her spiral that Miss Bustier walked over to her. Then She gave Chloe a hug, interrupting her thoughts.

"I.. Don't know what to say. Thank you... Just... Thank you..." Miss Bustier, sounding very touched, hugs her tighter.

Chloe felt both shocked and confused. She doesn't understand. She knows her creation is a total failure. It's not cute, approachable, so why?!

"Why?" Chloe asked

"Hm?" Miss Bustier pulled back and gave her a questioning look.

Chloe gave Miss Bustier an incredulous look. "No child would ever want to play with that. You don't have to pretend; I know it looks... I mean... It looks... unsightly doesn't even begin to cover it!"

Now Miss Bustier gives her an incredulous look "Why would I pretend? You worked very hard on this with my little one in mind. I'm sure that they would appreciate the gift their big sister Chloe made for them."

Chloe's mind bluescreened at that.

To say Chloe was surprised is an understatement. Her mouth opened as if to say something but closed as if she couldn't find the words.

She doesn't know which caught her off guard more. Miss Bustier genuinely liking her stuffed toy, despite the failure, or the "Big Sister Chloe" comment.

"Besides this looks unique then what you normally see in stuffed toys it does hold a certain amount of cuteness in my opinion." Miss Bustier cooed at the toy.

By that, Chloe was done trying to understand. But she was secretly relieved that Miss Bustier didn't scorn her.

---

Although Chloe never had drugs in her possession, she still had to go to the principal's office for attacking Lila.

Despite that Chloe was escorted there in higher spirits since Miss Bustier never scorned her for her failure in making an exceptional stuffed toy for her unborn child, in fact she praised her and thought the unimaginable horror was cute.

She knew that Miss Bustier would be different from Audrey but this takes the cake.

She just doesn't understand it...

But she'll take it all the same, despite the confusion and just let the warm feeling spread in her heart.

Chloe KNOWS Miss Bustier would be a good mother. If her child inherits her oddness and starts admiring Chloe as their hero for the toy, it would be a bonus.

Plus, Lila had to go to the principal's office with her for trying to go through her personal belongings, much to Lila's displeasure (which doubled because she never got to see what Chloe was hiding) and Chloe's glee.

'Which reminds me...' Chloe glanced at Lila, feeling the fires of anger reignite. 'Even though Rossi never found out what's in my school bag and when Miss Bustier assures Principal Damocles that I don't possess drugs, Rossi could still spread rumors about it. Too bad for her I have something that can keep her quiet.' Chloe then grinned with eyes burning with vengeance.

After all, you can't be the daughter of a hotel owner without making use of connections.

So, she knows Jagged Stone doesn't have a kitten but a crocodile.

She also knows that Marinette knows since she had to see him when Jagged Stone requests for her to make the cover for his new album. (8)

If Lila decides to misbehave, she'll appeal to Marinette's sense of justice, and have her act as the eyewitness.

Chloe Bourgeois may not be the best person and while not evil per say she's not above blackmail to get what she wants.

If Lila Rossi thinks she can fuck with her, she's got another thing coming. Nobody messes with Queen Bee.

---

In the New York Special There are a few scenes involving Chloe that they deleted. Like Chloe hoped to meet her mother in New York and avoid the trip but she never took the time to get her. Adrien and Marinette tried to comfort Chloe after the party. The last part isn't mentioned in this fic, this is just me giving facts.

I left what the stuffed doll looks like ambiguous on purpose. It's up to the reader to imagine what it looks like. That part I was inspired by randomly looking at art when I found some people drew monsters paired up with humans. I'm pretty sure they may look creepy inverse or in some cases other people who saw the art but the monsters can be endearing and cute because of how they behave and act towards their partner.

There are references mentioned in this one-shot. (1) Miracle Queen (2) I assume that Chloe's dad gave her the teddy bear based on her drawn flashback in "Despair Bear. (3)"Zombizou" where Chloe heard Marinette tell Alya that Chloe's got no heart and (3.5) "Thank you, Chloé. Those words are the best possible gift you could ever give me. " is what Miss Bustier said to Chloe after she apologized in that same episode. (If you remember that episode you've got to admit Chloe did feel guilty about the whole thing.), (4) "Ladybug" (5) "Style Queen". (6) "Malediktator" (7) "Heart Hunter" (8) "Pixelator"

[anna-scribbles]

been rotating emilie agreste in my head really hard lately and these are my conclusions

[autla]

[flufflepuffle296]

Literally never seen a more perfect prompt for any couple ever in my life

[lucylichtenweg]

Me: *reading a fanfiction*

Me: ah yes, that was a good new fanfiction

Me: *seeing I have it bookmarked = I read it already in the past*

Me: but-but why don't I remember such a great fanfiction?

This is a gift and a curse in the same time

[bakanokiwami]

TOP 10 CARTOON/COMIC/GRAPHIC NOVEL FANDOMS ON AO3 BASED ON NUMBER OF FANWORKS,SINGLE CATEGORY TAG ONLY VERSION (2009-2022)

If you don't see a fandom on the chart, it may be because that fandom only has a multicategory tag and no Cartoons/Comics/Graphic Novels category only tag. (E.g. Homestuck) You can see this category with the muti-category fandoms included in this post.

To make these bar chart race, all series titles in the Cartoons/Comics/Graphic Novels category on November 29 (or the closest date to it) of every year were copy-pasted from Wayback Machine to Google Sheets, rearranged according to number of fanworks, manually filtered for fandoms belonging in only one category, and then inputted to Flourish to turn into a bar chart race.

Locked fanworks aren't included in the count because Wayback Machine can’t view those, only Ao3 users can.

Fandom tags that are no longer in the Other Media category tag as of posting this are left out of the bar chart race. These tags are usually either miscategorized or already have other tags referring to the same fandom.

Please refer to this post for more bar chart races.

Thanks for understanding and hopefully I didn’t mess up anywhere! 🙏

[starscay]

Drunk on Your Love

“Marinette!” He calls, running over and throwing his arms around her. She returns the embrace as he burrows his face into her shoulder.

“I thought you left,” He whines, his breath hot against her and smelling vaguely of the tequila shots she had seen him taking with Juleka earlier.

—

A very drunk Adrien, his lack of object permanence, and his love for Marinette (1.1k words)

[carpetbug]

welcome to the beginning of my ML Feline Blue AU!

in which Marinette is forced to become guardian before ever wielding a miraculous. Chaos ensues when she uses the black cat ring to become feline blue and through a silly little turn of events, Adrien gets his hands on the ladybug earrings and becomes beetle rouge

BIIIIIG thank you to my lovelies @isabugs and @thimbleb3rries for being so kind and encouraging, for their WONDERFUL ART OH MY GOD, and for beta-ing this!

The beginning: Becoming Guardian

1 • 2

“You’re not going to beat me like that, old man” The looming figure taunted.

Hunched in a ball before him, a much smaller elderly man struggled for breath. Blood trailed from his mouth, combining with his saliva to messily drip from his lips as he fought for air. Just by the effort he had to put into continuing breathing, he could tell this was not a fight he could win. Still, his fists clenched in defiance as he pushed himself from the floor and steadied himself upright on his feet. His spine screamed in protest and searing pain at the task, but he managed to remain standing.

“I know I can not beat you, old man” He coughed, hands trembling slightly. “But I must continue to fight”

The taller man scoffed before taking a step forward “I’ll make sure it's the last thing you ever do, you pathetic excuse of a guardian” He spat, tightening his grip on his cane as his rage boiled beneath his skin.

“I’d expect nothing less from a villain like you, Hawkmoth”

“No need to act like you’re so much better than me. After all, we've all made mistakes, haven’t we Master fu” Hawkmoth sneered.

“Leave my past out of this. I’ve worked to fix what I have broken, you only aim to destroy” Master fu panted, feeling his shoulders to check if his bag was still on his back, and letting out a small sigh of relief when he felt the thick material. Next his hands slowly traveled to support and feel the bottom and sides of the bag, searching for an object. He took another relieved breath when he felt the item's weight, and then he prepared himself for the worst. Bunching his muscles, he sprang into action and bolted away from Hawkmoth.

He focused only on moving forward, getting as far from this wretched evil as he could before time ran out. When he finally collapsed, legs giving out from under him in pure exhaustion, he found himself at the Pont de Arts, above the seine. Hawkmoth was nowhere to be seen, but master fu knew that was only a false sense of security. The villain would find him soon enough. He needed to find someone. Anyone.

“-ir? Are you okay?”

A voice. Master fu looked up, vision shaking just slightly. In Front of him stood a teenage girl, dark hair pulled back into pigtails and eyebrows pushed together with worry.

“Sir? Can you hear me?” She asked with a panicked look in her eyes. “How can I help?” She stepped closer and offered him a hand.

Master fu gathered his strength to pull his bag from his back and carefully draw open the zipper before reaching in to pull out the contents. The girl watched intensely, eyes following his pained movements. He pulled a large dark wooden box from the bag and held it close to his chest, then brought his eyes upwards to meet her face. “I’m sorry, young hero” He said sadly, then joined his hand to hers before she could respond.

An intense feeling washed over him, and he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. This girl was strong. He hoped she will forgive him for the burden he will make her bear.

She flashed an anxious smile “That’s okay, and I promise I’m no hero. Just a normal g-” He cut her off with a sharp tug, then slammed the box into her chest. She gasped as he knocked the air from her lungs, clearly not expecting such a feat of strength from the battered man. As she fought to breathe, Master fu gathered the last few remnants of his strength and lifted the girl from the ground. “I, Wang Fu, hereby relinquish the Miracle Box-”

“Stop! What are you doing!?”

“-and name Marinette Dupain-Cheng the guardian” His body lit up, skin glowing as the box between them lifted upward and burned like a star in the air.

“How do you know my na-?!” Before she could finish what she said, the box dropped back into her hold and the elderly man -still glowing like some sort of deity- held her over the railing and dropped her into the rushing water below. She hit the surface with a loud splash, getting thrown under but quickly resurfacing a few feet away, miracle box still in her arms.

The last thing she saw before being pulled away by the fast moving current was the man falling backwards to the ground in exhaustion as the light emitting from his skin dimmed.

Master fu slowly blinked his eyes open, carefully taking in his surroundings with an expression of pure shock and confusion on his face. He seemed so frail, all of a sudden. Like he had lost all his fight.

“What did you do?!” a booming voice hissed behind him. He started to turn his head to look, but something beat him to it. All of a sudden, a hand tightened around his throat and picked him off the ground, nails digging into the thin skin of his neck.

“What- what’s happening?” Master fus strangled voice hardly escaped his lips. He tried to thrash his legs, do anything to get free, but a fatigue he couldn’t explain had overcome his muscles. Weakly prying at his attackers hands, panic began to set in. There wouldn’t be any escape. “Who are you?” he managed out in a pained mumble.

“I am the next guardian of the miraculous” the seething voice responded as nails began to break through his skin. “I am the consequences of your greatest mistake” the words rang through his head as his vision went black, and sickeningly warm blood poured from his throat.

Marinette struggled to hold her head above the surface and keep the container in her grasp as the river pulled her this way and that. Her mind raced and her lungs screamed, everything inside her begging to let go of that weird old man’s weird old box and save herself instead. Still, her grip remained glued to the sodden wood, as if she would rather drown than set the box free to face the waters’ wrath. Nothing was making any sense. And despite the deafening chorus of the racing water that surrounded her, the only thing ringing in her ears was the man’s words.

He had called her a hero. He had entrusted her with something clearly important to him. He had thrown her into the seine. He had been badly wounded. He had been a complete and utter stranger. What did everything mean? Suddenly, her feet felt solid ground beneath her, and she hurriedly moved to follow it. She pushed forward, focusing on reaching the bank that lay on the other side. Eventually Marinette was able to pull herself and the box from the water onto an empty platform beneath a bridge.

As soon as she was safely out of the water, Marinette threw herself backwards in exhaustion. She laid against the cool pavement underneath her and passed through all the events that had just occurred. What the fuck was this ‘miracle’ box? And why was she the ‘guardian’? Ignoring the new aches in her body, she sat upward and brought the box closer to her.

There she sat for a few moments, toying with the lid and gently tracing the intricate pattern displayed. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened it.

“HELLO YOUNG MASTER” A loud chorus of voices rang out as a beam of light emitted from the open container and what looked like small differently colored masses of stars flew all around her. Marinette fell back onto her elbows, overwhelmed at the sudden sensory overload. Her vision was a blur of nauseating colors accompanied by what she could only imagine to be auditory hallucinations.

Before she had a chance to speak, to catch her breath or try and scream for help, the almost magical colorful masses slowed until they were still, then began to morph into a solid form. Marinette watched, intrigued and terrified, as these small creatures took shape in front of her. They each seemed to be a different animal, though they all shared an alien-like anatomy. Some had tails, others long whiskers and a few antennas. Two of them caught her eye, a sleek black cat and what she thought to be a ladybug (though it looked much more like some sort of bug-mouse combo).

As if the creatures could read her mind -which they could, for all she knew-, they began to speak in sync. “WE ARE THE KWAMI, MAGICAL BEINGS THAT CAN BESTOW POWERS UPON OUR WIELDERS.” They said, in an almost sing-songy voice.

“AND YOU, MARINETTE, ARE OUR NEW GUARDIAN.”

[memesandtvshowthings]

This was in a fanfic I read. But, it’s honestly so true.

[sha-nwa]

call it even ch 3

“I hate him,” Marinette said, throwing her backpack down. “He’s awful. He’s cruel, manipulative, controlling—”

“I thought you had decided to give him a chance.” Alya climbed up through Marinette’s trap door and shut it behind her.

“That was last week. I’ve been right to despise him all along, actually.” Marinette plopped down in her computer chair, spinning until her dragging feet stopped her. “He sucks. He’s ruining my life.”

[phantomstatistician]

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Sample Size: 876 stories

Source: AO3

[allusivex5]

Rebirth of the Waynes

It’s was fun but difficult not used to a lot of figures in my drawings. Also this is my first time drawing Batman and it was so cool! I felt like on top of the world! Ps please be nice I’m not great at backgrounds.

[yuuverseyuuverse]

Favorite AO3 tag of the day.

#Damian doesnt even have a rizz and yet??? Results.

From 1-800 Emergency Magic Management by

ew_selfish_art

[ao3screenshotss]

[jasontoddsguns]

[lucylichtenweg]

Thank goodness I have a shitty memory, because I can reread fanfiction and don't remember what happened in them